GAA adopts new policy on the naming of cups and trophies

In future, when Central Council creates a new competition, the CCCC will put together a list of suggested names from counties and recommend one of them to Management Committee

The Sam Maguire Cup. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

The GAA have adopted a new policy on the naming of its cups and trophies.

To put order on the practice, Central Council recently endorsed an approval process to be followed when clubs, counties and other units wish to dedicate a piece of competition silverware in memory of a person.

In future, when Central Council creates a new competition, the Central Competitions Control Committee will put together a list of suggested names from counties and recommend one of them to Management Committee.

In the case of an existing cup or trophy, if Central Council deems it appropriate to put a name on it, counties will be asked for their proposals. If it is to be named after a person, he or she must be deceased and preferably have an obvious connection to the competition. The same protocols apply when a GAA unit wishes to give a name to a new cup as well as it being of equivalent or greater value to the existing silverware.

At senior inter-county level, two new pieces of silverware, the Tailteann and the Mick Mackey Cups, were commissioned, the latter the new trophy for the winners of the Munster senior hurling championship. Going back several years, Limerick had lobbied for the Munster SHC cup to be renamed and relaunched in the memory of their hurling great Mackey.

The Munster SFC Cup is the only senior inter-county championship cup without a name. The others are Connacht SFC (JJ Nestor Cup), Leinster SFC (Bill Delaney), Ulster SFC (Anglo-Celt) and in hurling Leinster SHC (Bob O’Keeffe) and the four lower tiers Joe McDonagh, Christy Ring, Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher.

In February, Tyrone’s Clonoe O’Rahillys were criticised by a victims group and the Democratic Unionist Party for a memorial plaque to three IRA members who played for the club. In response, the GAA stated they would be drawing up guidance on such commemorations.

A statement from Croke Park read: “We respect the right of any unit of the association to remember its dead members, but in so doing it is important to recognise the need for sensitivity in such matters. The association will work on issuing guidance to clubs and counties on such events in the future."

Rule 4.9 of the GAA Official Guide Part I states: “A trophy shall not be named after a living person or after any existing political or semi-political organisation. A trophy shall not be used for any commercial purposes. A cup/trophy shall not be filled with any type of alcoholic beverage.” 

In 2013, former Dublin senior hurling manager Humphrey Kelleher published “GAA Family Silver – The People and Stories Behind 101 Cups and Trophies”. 

He has long called for the GAA to review the naming of cups and suggested the likes of the Irish Press Cup which will be awarded to the winners of Saturday week’s All-Ireland minor hurling championship final between Offaly and Tipperary, be renamed in honour of a late member of the association.